Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Translator: Penny
Episode 9: Lee Seolhwa and Yoon Sea
Episode 9: Lee Seol-hwa and Yun Se-a
"Se-a, did you just come in from outside?"
Judging by the timing of her question, she must have arrived recently.
Assuming she arrived sooner than I expected... Lee Seol-hwa, having uncovered the full truth, would have already blasted me with ice magic. I'd thought the lab had no CCTV, but unfortunately, a glance upward revealed the camera was functioning perfectly.
I subtly turned my head to look behind Yun Se-a, where scattered fragments of flesh lay in disarray, still uncleaned. Behind them stood a middle-aged woman with white hair, her hand clamped over her mouth as she stared at me.
The moment I saw her face, I knew instinctively.
So that's what she looks like. Yun Se-a's birth mother.
This woman was Yun Se-a's biological mother, a character barely mentioned in the original story.
Thanks to the memories I'd absorbed from Yun Se-a, I knew her story all too well.
Yun Seong-ho, who had amassed wealth through potion patents but was still considered a commoner with only money, not noble lineage.
Madam Kim Gyeo-ul, initially believed to be a gifted ability user from a fallen noble family, was swiftly demoted from the family's hope to a daughter destined for a political marriage due to her weak abilities.
Their meeting was fateful.
Their marriage was arranged immediately, filling the Kim family's financial gaps. Yun Seong-ho joined the Kim family, expecting a simple win-win arrangement.
Unfortunately, the Kim Family's biggest mistake was underestimating Yun Seong-ho, seeing him merely as a wealthy commoner.
It was truly disgusting how, as soon as Yun Seong-ho's Yuseong Group became a major corporation, making the Kim Family seem insignificant by comparison, her family immediately abandoned Madam Kim Gyeo-ul and demanded she marry another of their children.
Their vile intentions to leech off him were palpable even from here.
Yun Seong-ho had sensed the Kim Family's dark motives—their desire to control Yuseong Group—and rejected their proposal outright. But the real problem arose afterward.
Blinded by jealousy, the Kim Family began harassing Madam Kim Gyeo-ul at every public appearance. They would criticize her table manners, spread false dress codes to humiliate her at parties, and pick petty fights at every turn.
The final blow came when they used the family-owned broadcasting station to air fabricated affairs, relentlessly tormenting Madam Kim Gyeo-ul's psyche. The psychological assault proved devastating, driving her into a state of extreme misanthropy and forcing her to withdraw into her room like a recluse, living as a shell of her former self.
And I was the catalyst for these fabricated affairs.
The reason was simple: while the entire family, including Yun Seong-ho, shared the distinctive traits of white hair and blue eyes, I alone lacked these features.
Thanks to the Kim family's fabrication of adultery scandals, Madam Kim Gyeo-ul had remained holed up in her room like a hikikomori, merely observing whatever happened to me... or something like that.
Even though she has her own story... from Yun Se-a's perspective, she's not someone to be easily forgiven.
Hmm, I seem to have been talking about Madam Kim Gyeo-ul for too long... Anyway, after having that thought, what happened next was this:
"Release me immediately."
"No. At least tell me what happened here."
I was being interrogated by Lee Seol-hwa, completely restrained.
I thought she had just arrived since she didn't immediately unleash her ice magic, but it turns out I'd fallen for a sting operation. Quite disappointing.
I'm trapped in ice, but it doesn't feel like I'm about to get frostbite or anything.
He used ice of moderate strength to avoid harming me, yet he effortlessly subdued my desperate resistance with just three fingers—a truly overwhelming gap in power.
Yun Seong-ho was just a C Rank, so beating him was easy. But how am I supposed to defeat Lee Seol-hwa, who's at the top of A Rank? If I could beat her at my age, when she's already being touted as the next S-Rank, then I'd be the next S-Rank myself.
Even if I wanted to use the Demonic Eye of Suggestion, I've never used it against someone with similar magical power to mine, so I can't guarantee it would work.
With untested psychokinesis and an empty pistol, there's no way I can defeat Lee Seol-hwa, no matter what I try.
Why did you really come here?
Before killing all the researchers, I should deal with Madam Kim Gyeo-ul first.
"...It's pathetic how you only crawl out when your life is threatened, Mother."
"......!"
This is supposed to be a problem, but... I'm just annoyed that everything has gone completely wrong.
Even Yun Se-a's usual composure has shattered.
If she had just stayed locked in her room, everything would have been perfectly resolved.
"Se-a, what kind of talk is that to your parents—"
"Be quiet. I told you never to show your face before me again."
Thanks to my earlier outburst, Lee Seol-hwa seems unable to pressure me further.
Yun Se-a, I don't know what you really think of these people.
Yun Se-a, with her soft heart, was willing to sacrifice her life to protect her adorable juniors and save the world, even while under mind control. If she were to return now, and Lee Seol-hwa and Madam Kim Gyeo-ul sincerely apologized... she would probably accept their apology.
But, regrettably, I can't hear your voice.
At that moment, I recalled the self-hypnosis she had performed before the mirror, like a solemn vow.
Before the mirror, she had murmured to me, "Take care of me."
If I leave this world, will you return to my empty body? Or will you vanish like dust, forgotten?
The latter seemed more likely. After all, the Yun Se-a reflected in the mirror had crumbled into dust and disappeared.
In that case... I might have to act a little selfishly, Yun Se-a.
Why don't you just laugh and joke with the protagonist while taking down the Final Boss? The price for obsessing over a mere extra like me... you'll pay it all.
"Haa... If you want to know the truth about the incident... I killed them. I trapped those people inside a transparent barrier created with telekinesis, hypnotized them to see each other as enemies, and made them shoot each other to death. Still, since they were former heroes, I finished them off with a satisfying explosion."
".........!!!!"
As I stated the cold facts, Lee Seol-hwa and Madam Kim Gyeo-ul couldn't hide their shock, their eyes widening and trembling visibly.
"What's wrong? Those trash were the ones who subjected me to all sorts of bio-torture alongside Yun Seong-ho when I was a child. Killing them was only natural."
Even after I patiently explained everything from beginning to end, the ice binding her only grew stronger. Lee Seol-hwa remained utterly silent.
"And... well, Chairman Yun Seong-ho fell off a cliff and died. The world will hear something like, 'Chairman Yun Seong-ho, who revolutionized the pharmaceutical industry, tragically died after his car suddenly accelerated and plunged off a cliff during a late-night drive...' But the truth is, he died without ever experiencing even a fraction of the pain I endured."
"........."
Crack... crack... crack...!
The ice's grip tightened relentlessly, accompanied by the ominous sign of numbness creeping into my limbs. My instincts screamed that I needed to shatter Lee Seol-hwa's composure—and fast.
"Why the hesitation? A hero like you should have executed a villain like me long ago—someone who murdered their own blood-related family, despite our severed ties."
"Quiet..."
"Don't tell me you're trying to atone for the abuse you inflicted on me as a child, now of all times?"
"Please, just be quiet...!"
Crack!
...?!
In an instant, ice had encased my body, rising all the way to my chin.
This is... dangerous.
I couldn't even twitch a finger.
I knew Lee Seol-hwa didn't intend to kill me, but if things continued like this, I'd be headed straight to prison.
My chance to help the protagonist would vanish completely.
Thank goodness telekinesis is a power I can use without moving my hands.
But could I even break this ice...?
It doesn't seem like she's using lethal ice, so it's worth taking a gamble.
"Hypocrite, what's the difference between you and Yun Seong-ho?"
"..........!!"
Now was the time—now that Lee Seol-hwa's mental state was severely fractured. This was my only chance to break free from this icy prison.
I swiftly focused my mind and deployed a powerful Psychokinetic Barrier around my body.
Crash!
The ice shattered weakly, crumbling under the force.
"Se-a, I really...!"
Panicked, Lee Seol-hwa assumed I was targeting Madam Kim Gyeo-ul. She instantly flew behind the older woman, positioning herself to protect her. Unfortunately for her, that wasn't my target.
Click!
A pistol materialized in my hand.
As I slowly walked out of the laboratory toward home, Lee Seol-hwa screamed, demanding to know what I was doing. But it didn't matter.
Bang! Bang!
I fired my gun at the frozen section near the entrance, shattering it. With that much broken, I should be able to open the door by hand and get inside.
Crackle...!!
Ah, I should just take Madam Kim Gyeo-ul and leave.
Lee Seol-hwa blocked the entrance to the research lab, which had been frozen solid in an instant.
Of course she'd be dumbfounded. Even from my perspective, this was a pretty insane gamble.
"You, that Magic Circle..."
Unfortunately, while I had a clear path to victory...
"It's a Magic Circle set to crush my skull if my body is completely immobilized or suppressed."
As soon as I revealed the Magic Circle's true nature, Lee Seol-hwa froze in place.
"No matter what you do, the Magic Circle will activate faster. If you want to stop me, you'll have to cut off my air supply, Ms. Lee Seol-hwa."
"Se-a, you really...!"
"I know how you came here. From the moment you felt disgusted and fled home, living with guilt over abandoning Mother and me."
"Okay, I understand. Just deactivate the Magic Circle first..."
"You must have been so pleased at the thought of atonement, back when you were young. You, who couldn't react when I was being experimented on and ran away like a coward. Oh, but he never resented you. He thought you ran away because of me."
As I spoke, Madam Kim Gyeo-ul's eyes, which had been watching me from afar, began to waver.
"Instead of resenting her family for creating a scandal just because her hair and eye colors were different, she cursed her only two daughters. Even as she endured near-torture at the hands of her own sister, she cowered in her room like a coward. What kind of mother is that?"
"N-no, Se-a..."
"Shut up! Because of your pathetic attitude, I, Yun Se-a, was forcibly implanted with monster blood, corpses, body parts, and even monster eyes by that bastard Yun Seong-ho!"
As if to prove her point, she activated the Demonic Eye of Suggestion, blood tears streaming down her face, showing them the full extent of her suffering. The two women seemed completely mentally broken.
Good. The ice on the door is weakening too.
At this point, I could probably break through with telekinesis.
"Well, Yun Seong-ho conducted these experiments in complete secrecy from the start... And thanks to this Demonic Eye, I was able to kill Chairman Yun Seong-ho, so I'll overlook the human experimentation. If you two are so desperate to atone... I'll give you a chance."
"......"
The two of them remained silent, staring intently at me.
"Renounce your inheritance. And whether you want to play the righteous hero or rot away in your room like a shut-in, do whatever you want. Just don't ever show your faces to me again."
"Th-that's..."
"After inflicting every possible wound, you're now reaching out for reconciliation? It's truly disgusting and vile."
"........We'll do as you wish, if that's what you want."
In essence, it was a deeply disrespectful demand: "Hand over your inheritance and get lost." Madam Kim Gyeo-ul weakly agreed, then collapsed unconscious.
"Mom!"
Naturally, Lee Seol-hwa flew to catch her mother as she fell. In that moment, I opened the laboratory door, preparing to return home.
"And... this Underground Laboratory, along with everything that happened today... it's all as if it never existed?"
KWAANG!
As soon as I closed the iron door, a text message arrived from Mr. Deok-bae.
[010-1256-1257]
[Young Lady, this is Deok-bae. Miss Seol-hwa and Madam Kim left without incident, but...]
Ah, Deok-bae.
[010-1256-1257]
[I'm freezing to death, Young Lady.]
Thinking about it, Mr. Deok-bae's legs had been frozen earlier too.
I quickly thawed his legs, gave him a brief explanation of what needed to be done, and sent him home.
As Yun Seong-ho's personal secretary, Mr. Deok-bae received a generous salary and even had his national ID issued by Yun Seong-ho himself. He was no longer a nameless orphan but a proper citizen of South Korea.
Still, it seems Lee Seol-hwa really feels guilty towards Yun Se-a.
If it were me, I would have turned her into frozen meat and rocket-shipped her to prison long ago. She must be suffering terribly from guilt.
"You're not my type. Maybe Yun Se-a, but not you."
But Yun Se-a was gone now.
Only I remained—the player who had once played the game.
Tap, tap!
Using Yun Seong-ho's fingerprint, I had already secured all the data from his smartphone.
The records revealed his history of being blackmailed by most guilds, including the Naseon Guild, information about commissioning assassinations against competitors through unheard-of Mercenary Guilds, and the ugly truth behind the Yuseong Group, which I had only known as a major corporation.
"So... what shall I do with these secret ledgers~♪"
The next day:
Yuseong Group Chairman Yun Seong-ho Plunges Off Cliff After Sudden Acceleration
Foreign Automaker's Stock Plummets 18% Following Yun Seong-ho's Death; Further Decline Expected
Interim Chairman Kim Deok-bae to Fill Void Left by Yun Seong-ho's Death
Kim Family: "Naturally, since a member of our family has died, the Yuseong chairmanship should go to one of us, not an outsider."
Interim Chairman Kim Deok-bae to Hold Emergency Press Conference on December 30, Following Three-Day Funeral
The world was in an uproar over Yun Seong-ho's death.